Martin's 200 meters in 1985 still a state meet highlight

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Roy Martin can still hear the roar of the crowd and feel the rush of the race.

He remembers boldly predicting a big win, then signing autographs until the wee hours of the morning after he'd pulled it off.

Martin's blazing 200 meters at the 1985 Texas high school state championship is still considered one of greatest high school races ever run. It remains a state record from a meet that ranks among the best for Texas sprinters and should survive this year's event, which runs Friday and Saturday at Texas' Mike A. Myers Stadium.

"I knew going in that was the last time I was going to be running high school track," Martin told The Associated Press this week. "I knew I was going to be running like a bat out of hell from start to finish."

Martin, of Class 5A Dallas Roosevelt, stunned the crowd at Texas Memorial Stadium with a time of 20.0 seconds, although he vividly remembers the unofficial reading on the scoreboard clock that sent fans into a frenzy: 19.74.

Meet organizers had been worried for weeks about getting times right because they knew they were in for a special year.

Martin was already the defending champ and had nearly made the 1984 Olympic team. He and Joe DeLoach of Class 4A Bay City were big rivals in the prep ranks. Stanley Kerr of Class 1A Snook caught Martin's eye during an unexpected 100-meter showdown at the Texas Relays a month earlier.

Sure enough, the state meet ended with three records in the 200 that would stand nearly two decades or longer.

"We had heard all year about the times they were running in invitational meets and when we saw the regional qualifying times come in, wow!" said University Interscholastic League Executive Director Bill Farney, who was in charge of the meet that year. "We had to make sure we had our national record forms ready."

In those days, the UIL recorded race times on hand-held stopwatches. Farney made sure to have extra timers in case of human or mechanical error.

"I was afraid somebody would miss the start," he said. "I wanted to make sure we'd get the national record if we had it."

Snook's Kerr ran a 1A record-setting 20.4, which Martin heard about on the radio on his way to the stadium. DeLoach set the 4A record at 20.5.

By the time Martin settled into the block in Lane 1, he was ready for the race of his life.

Farney estimates as many as 30,000 people attended the meet and the previous races built a buzz in the wait for Martin's showcase.

"When I hit that straightaway, I hit another gear. I could hear the crowd screaming," Martin said.

This is where he starts to brag a bit.

"When I was done, I still had time to turn around and watch the rest of the race," he said.

Things got really crazy when the unofficial time on the scoreboard put Martin within a whisker of the world record. Martin found out much later that his official time was 20.0 seconds, but the autograph seekers kept coming. He remembers signing until well past midnight.

Later that summer, Martin ran what is recognized as the national high school record of 20.13 seconds in Indianapolis, a time that was recorded electronically and considered more accurate.

Five years ago, the UIL converted all its hand-held times to electronic standards, adding .24 seconds. That changed Martin's state meet time to 20.24, but it remains a state record. Kerr still owns the 1A record at 20.64.

DeLoach wasn't so lucky. His time was changed to 20.74, but he had already essentially lost his 4A record when Austin Reagan's Brendan Christian ran 20.32 in 2002.

After high school, Martin went to SMU and DeLoach to Houston. Kerr ran for Texas A&M. DeLoach and Martin made the 1988 Olympics, where Martin failed to reach the final and DeLoach stunned Carl Lewis to win the gold medal.

Martin, 41, now works as the track coach, hall monitor and bus driver for Florence Middle School in Dallas. He's also the coach of the Robots of Cedar Hill Track Club, playing off the nickname he had in high school.

Family life and approaching middle age have added pounds to the middle of his once muscular frame, and many of his awards were either stolen or tarnished by time. But he remains proud of his 1985 records as he prepares for the annual trip to see if someone can break them.

Greenville's Henry Neal came close in 1990. The national record-holder in the 100 at 10.15 (Martin is second at 10.18), Neal ran a 20.2 in the 200. The top 200 qualifier in any class for this year's state meet is Lewisville's Markus Henderson at 20.74. No one else broke 21 seconds at regionals.

"I figure that's why I come to the state meet every year, to see if somebody will get it," Martin said. "Every year I hear, 'This guy is going to break your record.' They never do."